Thursday, July 29, 2010

Cajun Shrimp, Jalapeno Corn Muffins, and Zucchini


Cajun Shrimp: (this is for 2 people)
Preheat oven 400 degrees

.5 lb medium size raw shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 lemon sliced plus juice from one lemon
2 Tbl melted butter
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 clove chopped garlic
2 bay leaves
Cajun seasoning
black pepper
parsley flakes

Mix melted butter, lemon juice, and all ingredients except shrimp and sliced lemon. Pour half of mixture into casserole dish. Add shrimp and place lemon slices overtop. Pour the rest of the mixture on top. Bake uncovered for about 15 minutes until shrimp is cooked. If making a bigger portion, make 1 layer shrimp, 1 layer lemon, 1 layer shrimp, etc. Serve with the butter from the dish on the side to dip in.

Jalapeno Corn Muffins:

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 Tbl butter
a pinch of salt
1.5 t. baking powder
cayenne pepper
1/4 cup shredded cheddar or pepperjack cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 half jalapeno diced
3 Tbl honey

Sautee onion and corn in butter in small saucepan. In a bowl, combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk buttermilk, oil, egg, and honey. Add this to the dry ingredients, along with the jalapeno and cooled onion and corn. Grease 6 muffin cups and add the batter 3/4 full. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and tops are golden.

I had our first pick from the garden, a large zucchini (cut into thin slices) so I just sauteed it up with some olive oil, salt, and black pepper.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Steak Salad

This was my first attempt at a flank steak and I was pretty impressed with the way it turned out. They are an inexpensive cut of meat but I've heard they can be super tough if not prepared properly. I marinated it for a few hours in soy sauce, worcestershire, and fresh garlic. I grilled it outside on a gas grill but here's the trick: (as with any steak, I think) Get the grill super hot before putting the meat on it, cook each side only 4 minutes and flip only ONE time. Don't touch it once you put it down for the whole 4 minutes. If you overcook these, they WILL get tough. They have to be done no more than medium-med well. After you take it off, let it sit for about ten minutes before you slice it. Use a super sharp knife and cut against the grain on an angle making thin slices to lay over your salad. I used a mix of romaine and iceburg with bleu cheese and a balsamic dressing (both very good with the red meat) I made up real quick. Here is a complete list of ingredients for this salad, sorry, no measuring!

One flank steak (for two people)
Soy sauce
worcestershire sauce
fresh garlic
salt pepper

Romaine and Iceburg lettuce
Balsamic dressing (I make my own with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and sugar)
Crumbled bleu cheese
Any vegetable you want to throw in there (I had an avocado so I sliced it up)

I think that's it :)